12 Ways Ad Networks Use 42matters App Data to Improve App Publisher Onboarding

When online advertising networks onboard an app publisher’s mobile application, they need the app’s most recent metadata – such as the title, creatives, description, icon, etc. – to ensure that the process is straightforward and frictionless for the publisher.

In this article we will go over 12 ways ad networks can leverage the rich data and functionalities provided by 42matters to support and simplify the app publisher onboarding process.

1. Find Apps 

The first step in any onboarding process is to identify the app that requires onboarding. 42matters provides a Search API that allows publishers to look up their app in our always-up-to-date database. The “Full Text Search API” yields accurate, real time results on all app titles and descriptions  for both iOS and Android apps.

Ad networks can find apps by calling the Search  endpoint with the appropriate keywords. The results will be received in json format and can then be displayed in an autocomplete search bar.If needed, customers can even acquire a full dump of our meta data and implement their own search algorithms.

2. Gain Insight into App Details

Another way for ad networks to access an app’s metadata is via an app ID. Depending on the platform, this could be a bundle ID, a track ID, or a package name.

42matters’ “Lookup API” comes in handy here. Once an app publisher provides an ad network with one of the various IDs, the ad network can then use the API to conduct a query on the ID and look up the app’s meta information. 

With the “Lookup API” ad networks can find an app’s title, icon, publish status, and the state of its content and review ratings. It’s also helpful to know whether an app is still published on the stores or if it has been updated regularly and releasing new versions.

3. Check App Ratings and Reviews for Red Flags

The 42matters “Lookup API” is also a good tool for canvassing an app’s user ratings. As such, this makes it possible for ad networks to be more selective about the apps and app publishers that they work with. 

Moreover, the 42matters “Review Analysis API” can be used to help ad networks determine whether an app’s user base has a particularly strong negative sentiment towards embedded ads. Such a sentiment could trigger a negative review of the app before allowing access to the ad network’s inventory. That is to say, the app’s user experience will decline and the outcome of the advertisement strategy will be jeopardized.

Finally, for ad networks that like a bit more control over their product, the 42matters “Review API” can be used to obtain review data in a raw format. This can then be leveraged to build custom review analyses.

4. Identify the Same App Across the Google Play and Apple App Stores

Precision is obviously critical during the onboarding process. Indeed, clients take note of even the most minute of inefficiencies.

With the 42matters “App Matching API” ad networks can determine whether publishers have made their apps available on other platforms. That is, rather than perform a new search, the API will accurately and quickly yield data on the availability of a single app across multiple app stores.

The 42matters “App Matching API” works for both the Android and iOS stores.

5. Streamline App Classification and Boost Brand Safety and Targeting

App classification is critical for ad networks. It makes it possible for them to optimize their customers’ ad experience by tailoring the ads they display to the specific audiences attracted by the apps.

Indeed, well classified apps means better ad targeting. In turn, this fosters customer loyalty by boosting the ROI ad networks are able to provide.

Moreover, brands are understandably concerned with their reputation. As such, ad networks must be able to provide publishers and advertisers an ad experience that aligns with their brand safety goals.

This is why, at 42matters, we offer ad networks a variety of tools that enable them to improve app classification. These include:

• The “Lookup API” provides category and genre information for apps published in the Google Play and Apple App Stores. It also returns data on an app’s content rating. That is, whether it’s suitable for all audiences, or only more mature audiences.
  
• Another handy feature of the “Lookup API” is that it returns data on apps similar to the one being onboarded. This means ad networks can look to those  apps as an example for how to approach the app they are currently onboarding.
  
  
• 42matters also provides a suite of IAB APIs (here, here) that support both v1 and v2 of the IAB standard. These APIs make it possible to improve the quality of app classification by increasing category specification. For instance, while an app like “Tinder” might be broadly classified as a “Lifestyle” app on the Google Play store, our IAB APIs can tell you that it is, in fact, more specifically a “Dating” app.
  
  
• Then we have the “App Audience API.” This makes it possible to get more insight into user behavior. More specifically, the “App Audience API” makes it possible to determine which other apps have been installed most often by folks who use the app being onboarded. It also determines user gender to further inform audience tendencies.
  
  

6.  Determine Which SDKs an App Has Integrated

The 42matters “Integrated SDKs API” makes it possible for ad networks to determine which Software Development Kits (SDKs) have been integrated into various apps.

This has the added benefit of allowing ad networks to find out if publishers have integrated their SDK into their apps.

7. Analyse an App Publisher’s Privacy Policy

Global technology policy requirements are always in flux. The European Union’s recent implementation of General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a perfect example.

42matters’ “Lookup API” makes it possible for ad networks to obtain the privacy policy links of apps published to the Google Play store. As such, it enables them to determine whether these policies properly disclose their ad network to end users, as required by GDPR.

8. Verify App Ads.txt

The “App Ads.txt API” (Android, iOS) makes it possible for ad networks to verify that publishers are who they claim to be. It also makes it possible for them to determine whether publishers have white listed their ad network. This added layer of security helps ad networks prevent fraud and the reputational damage it incurs.

The API is able to achieve this by crawling app publisher data to figure out whether they are App Ads.txt compliant. And because the API continuously crawls for this data, it’s always up to date. As such, ad networks that leverage the API have instant access to this data by checking the API’s endpoint. There’s no need for them to recrawl and manually maintain the data on their own.

9. Determine In Which Countries an App is Available

This one is pretty self explanatory. The 42matters “Country Availability API” tells ad networks in which countries an app is available. Put in a slightly different way, it generates a quick overview of the locations around the world where the app has a potential user base.

10. Determine App Permissions

Again, the title pretty much says it all. The 42matters “Lookup API” gives ad networks the ability to determine the various permissions of Android and iOS apps. As an example, this could come in handy if an app offers location data access which could then be used to optimize ad targeting.

11. Estimate App Downloads

You’re probably beginning to get the feeling that the “Lookup API” is a bit of a workhorse. Well, you’re not wrong. It can also be used to determine the overall download range of an app.

In addition, 42matters provides a product that enables ad networks to determine even more precise app download estimates per country.

In tandem, these tools make it possible to determine which publishers might have the biggest impact on their business.

12. Acquire the Complete 42matters Dataset and Build Your Own Apis

42matters’ app data can be harnessed in a number of ways. Of course, our APIs are meant to make life easier on businesses that are already overburdened with day-to-day operations, but we do provide solutions for ad networks that are looking for more workable solutions.

Indeed, if ad networks want to leverage the data collected by 42matters in their own analysis or APIs, they can do so. We at 42matters will furnish them with our full raw dataset. This will give ad networks complete control over their offering so that they can approach the market on their own terms. The only real limitation is imagination!

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